Entering Prep Recipes

Prep recipes, as explained in this Understanding Prep Recipes: When Should They Be Used? article, are used to document complex or reusable preparation steps that feed into other recipes. They’re not sold directly but serve as components in other prep or serving recipes, like sauces, garnishes, or bulk-prepped proteins.

This article walks you through how to enter a prep recipe in reciProfity, including ingredient setup, yield, conversions, and inventory tracking.

How Prep Recipes Work

Prep recipes are similar to serving recipes, but with two key differences:

• No Pricing Section — Because prep recipes aren’t sold directly.
• Includes a Yield / Portion Cost Section — to calculate cost when the prep is used in other recipes.

To be priced correctly in a serving recipe, prep recipes must include a quantity value and a unit of measure (weight or volume).

Step-by-Step: Creating a Prep Recipe

1. Recipe Setup

Under Edit Recipe, update the following fields:

• Name: Give the recipe a name. This description is visible in the recipe page.
• Nutritional Label Name: This field is public-facing and must be grammatically correct. If left blank, the nutrient label description will default to the recipe name.
• Type: Choose "Prep Recipe" from the drop-down menu.
• PLU Code: Not required (prep recipes aren’t sold).
• Group: Assign for inventory tracking and reporting.
• Shelf Life: Helps with inventory rotation.
• Description/Primary Category: Optional.

2. Add Ingredients

1. Enter quantity and unit (e.g., 6 lbs, 8 oz, 1 ea).     
   
   

2. Then begin typing the ingredient name. The field uses a “contains” filter, so typing something like “bok” will return every ingredient or recipe that includes that word. Select the correct match from the dropdown.

   Label Colors:

   - Blue label = prep or serving recipe
   -  No label = raw ingredient with no modifications
   -  Red label = conversion prep (e.g., baby bok choy vs. regular bok choy)
   
   

3. Cost Calculation: reciProfity calculates ingredient costs based on product packaging details and the quantity you enter.
   

   ⚠️ If “N/A” appears in the cost column:

   The ingredient may be missing pricing data. Click the ingredient name to fix this.
   You may be using an incompatible unit (e.g., volume for an ingredient purchased by weight) without entering a weight-volume conversion. Click the ingredient name to open its data and review the conversion setup.
   
   

4. Repeat this process for each ingredient in the recipe.
   

3. Add Yield and Conversions

Once all ingredients are entered, you can specify the Yield, which is the total output of the prep recipe.

This can be measured in weight, volume, each, loaf, etc. (e.g., 5 lbs of sautéed baby bok choy).

Conversions: Just like ingredients, prep recipes can have conversions. These are essential when the serving recipe uses a different unit than the prep recipe.

• If the serving recipe uses weight, no additional setup is needed.
• If the serving recipe uses volume (e.g., cups), you must tell reciProfity how many cups are equivalent to 1 lb (or other unit).
  For example: “There are 4 cups per 1 lb, and the cost is $1.117 per cup.”

This allows reciProfity to accurately calculate the cost of serving recipes, whether they’re portioned by weight or volume.

Using Prep Recipes in Serving Recipes

Let’s complete the picture with an example.

Imagine you create a prep recipe for 6 lbs of Butter Roasted Salmon. This prep is then used in a serving recipe:
“Salmon, butter roasted with Basmati Rice and Baby Bok Choi.”

In the serving recipe, the Pricing box shows the serving cost and selling price based on your target food cost %.

The prep recipe will appear as an ingredient, with conversions applied as needed.

Understanding Conversions & Shrinkage

Recipe conversions are similar to ingredient conversions, but they apply to prep recipes instead of raw ingredients.

• Ingredient conversions help reciProfity calculate costs when an ingredient is received by one unit (e.g., weight) but used in another (e.g., volume).
• Prep recipe conversions do the same — they allow prep recipes to be used in serving recipes even when the units differ

For example, you might receive an ingredient by weight but use it by volume in the recipe. In that case, you'll need to enter a conversion so reciProfity can calculate the cost accurately.

You’ll also need to use manual conversions when:

• Shrinkage occurs during prep and isn’t already accounted for in the conversion preps of the individual ingredients.
• You’re making something like a pie, cake, or loaf of bread and want to create slices for sale.

These conversions ensure that portioning and pricing are accurate, even when the prep recipe undergoes changes during cooking or slicing.

📘 For more on conversions and shrinkage, read this article about Manual Conversions and Shrinkage.